The Game of Life-Chapter 851 - 850 She is a Good Kid
Chapter 851: Chapter 850: She is a Good Kid
Chapter 851 -850: She is a Good Kid
Jiang Feng had Ji Xue make fish balls and Ji Xia pull noodles because the dinner he prepared for Ji Xia’s grandmother today was very simple—a bowl of clear soup with fish balls and rough noodles.
The essence of this bowl of clear soup with fish balls and rough noodles naturally lay in the same clear broth he used for cooking chicken douhua, allowing Jiang Feng not only to showcase his culinary talent but also to let Ji Xia’s grandmother taste the remarkable skills of Ji Xue and Ji Xia.
Ji Xia was now a skilled noodle puller, and if she didn’t focus too much on the quality, she could even produce dragon whisker noodles, so pulling a bowl of thick, tasty noodles was certainly no challenge.
While Jiang Feng was cooking the noodles, Ji Xia stayed close by, continuously asking about Zhang Xi’s apprenticeship situation.
“Master, will you take that sister as a disciple?”
“Xiaxia, do you want me to take her as a disciple?” Jiang Feng countered.
“I don’t know.” Ji Xia didn’t know Zhang Xi at all; she simply wanted to be the senior sister. “But I think it’s good for Master to take on a few more brothers and sisters. Then I can be the senior sister and teach them knife skills, I can even teach them noodle pulling, as well as crispy pastries and meat mooncakes!”
Ji Xia’s meat mooncakes were quite good now, though they were far from Zheng Siyuan’s but still tasty enough.
“Bring that ladle over here,” Jiang Feng pointed at the shelf in front, “I’m afraid, Xiaxia, you won’t get a chance to teach your future brothers and sisters noodle pulling, crispy pastries, or meat mooncakes.”
“Why?” Ji Xia asked, puzzled.
“Because, Xiaxia, you are different from them; you are learning White Chef skills, while they will be learning Red Chef skills,” Jiang Feng explained.
He wasn’t planning on misleading more talented disciples of the White Chef; Jiang Feng’s direction in taking disciples was very clear now, it had to be the Red Chef, purely Red Chef, with the furthest deviation being Cooking Porridge.
Ji Xia nodded, understanding and not minding, she continued to inquire, “Master, you haven’t said whether you will take on that sister today.”
“I don’t know either,” Jiang Feng took the ladle from Ji Xia and lifted the noodles out, “It depends on the situation. That sister will come to the restaurant to help in the next few days; whether she’s taken on or not will depend on her performance during those days.”
Ji Xia nodded, understanding, “I know, just like you tested my noodle pulling before taking me in, taking a disciple has certain standards, one must pass the test first, right?”
“Right.” Jiang Feng nodded, then turned his head and shouted over to the other stove where Ji Xue was, “Ji Xue, are your fish balls ready?”
“Almost,” Ji Xue called back.
Jiang Feng began plating the noodles, using just two sticks of spinach to create an artistic design, and the moment Ji Xue’s fish balls hit the net, it looked like two dragons playing with pearls, only that these dragons had quite a few pearls to play with.
“Xiaxia, take the noodles out to Grandmother,” Ji Xue said with a smile, giving the opportunity to serve the dish to Ji Xia.
Ji Xia happily carried the noodles out at a trot, with Ji Xue following behind.
Jiang Feng had a few more dishes to finish in the kitchen and was busy for another twenty minutes or so to end the day’s work; then he changed clothes and went to the hall to find Ji Xia’s grandmother.
The fish ball and rough noodle dish had been completely eaten; not even the soup was left.
When Jiang Feng arrived, Ji Xia was talking to her grandmother, seemingly discussing something delightful—Ji Xia even laughed out loud. Ji Xue also had a smile in her eyes, and Ji Xia’s grandmother was all smiles, appearing very amiable, a stark contrast to the intimidating old lady Jiang Feng had first glimpsed.
Seeing Jiang Feng, Ji Xue quickly scooted over to make room for him, but Jiang Feng did not sit.
“Ji Xue, Xiaxia, could I have a moment alone to talk with your grandmother?” Jiang Feng asked.
Ji Xia didn’t think twice and stood up immediately, Ji Xue, however, hesitated for a moment but soon nodded in agreement and took Ji Xia to the kitchen to help.
“Hello, if you don’t mind, I’ll call you Grandmother just like Xiaxia does,” Jiang Feng said, sitting across from Ji Xia’s grandmother.
“This isn’t messing up the generational order, but you young people probably don’t mind these things. Call it whatever you want. Here, these are the gloves I knitted for you. The style is a bit old, but they’re warm. Xiaxia told me you all walk to and from work in the winter. Even though it’s not far, it’s so cold in Beiping, and not wearing gloves will definitely freeze your hands. You chefs need to take good care of your hands. I hope you won’t mind them.” Ji Xue’s grandmother was indeed a very kind old lady, and anyone who heard her speak would know her appearance didn’t match her personality at all.
“Of course, I won’t mind. How could I mind such a thoughtful gift?” Jiang Feng carefully examined the gloves; he even squeezed them a bit. They were indeed very thick and felt very comfortable to the touch. The person who knitted them had clearly put a lot of heart into it.
“You’ve taken such good care of Xiaxia over this past year. I’ve watched this child grow up. You could say she understands things, but then again, she really doesn’t at times. Out of all the children, I’ve always been most worried about Xiaxia. If Xiaxia hadn’t found a good mentor like you, her life might have been ruined.”
“Please don’t say that. I believe that whether or not she became my disciple, Xiaxia wouldn’t ruin her life. She’s a good kid and wouldn’t go astray; it’s just that sometimes the path isn’t that smooth,” Jiang Feng hastened to reply.
Ji Xue’s grandmother paused, then her face broke into a heartfelt smile, and she nodded continuously. “Right, she’s a good child, always has been a good child.”
After the basic pleasantries, Jiang Feng went on to discuss with Ji Xue’s grandmother the matters concerning Ji Xue’s future development that he had thought over the previous night and discussed with Wu Minqi, telling her everything.
The more Ji Xue’s grandmother listened, the more serious her expression became, and her smile completely disappeared; if one did not know her better, they might think the old lady was now somewhat unhappy.
“So, the best solution now is to let Xiaxia go to the place you mentioned, that, um…
“Taste House.”
“Right, to go to Taste House to learn the craft?” Ji Xue’s grandmother asked.
Jiang Feng nodded. “That’s the best choice. Taste House is currently the best White Chef restaurant in the country, and almost all the top Master White Chefs are there. The only others are Zheng Siyuan and Zheng Da; Zheng Da used to teach Xiaxia but clearly he is not willing to spend time on disciples. I had actually asked Zheng Siyuan too, he doesn’t mind, but he was very clear that he has never had a disciple and doesn’t have the experience to teach.”
“Actually, both Zheng Da and Zheng Siyuan have their limitations, but Taste House doesn’t. There are many Master White Chefs at Taste House, and if Xiaxia could go there, she could receive the most systematic and comprehensive guidance in White Chef cuisine. As long as we step forward, Taste House will give us face, they wouldn’t go out of their way to make things difficult even if they don’t teach everything they know.”
Ji Xue’s grandmother frowned. “But Xiaxia is unwilling.”
Jiang Feng nodded helplessly again. “Yes, the biggest issue now is that Xiaxia is unwilling. For her, Taste House is a completely unfamiliar environment. She likes it here and likes Beiping. If she goes to Taste House, it could be eight or nine years at most, or three to five years at least, without any family or friends. Although Xiaxia is nearly seventeen, a lot of the time she still seems like a middle school student, a child. If someone had asked me in middle school to leave home for a completely unfamiliar place for several years, even if they told me it was all for my benefit, I likely wouldn’t have wanted to either.”
“We’ve all seen the changes in Xiaxia over the past year and we all really like her; we don’t want to force her or make decisions for her. She doesn’t necessarily have to go to Yonghe House, although that would be best. If Xiaxia really doesn’t want to go, I could also find a way to bring Master White Chefs who aren’t quite as top-notch to work at Taifeng Building, so Xiaxia could continue her studies here. It’s just a bit of a pity, a bit of a waste of her talent.”
“She’s a genius, you might not feel it, but she really has extraordinary talent in White Chef disciplines, not just ordinary talent, but one-in-a-million kind of genius, unparalleled in the nation and even globally among young people. It’s precisely because Xiaxia’s talent is so great that we feel it would be a pity if she can’t receive the best instruction.” Jiang Feng felt helpless, “I’m torn between not wanting to pressure her and yet wanting to help her make this decision.”
“I’m really not sure which idea is right or wrong. You’re Xiaxia’s grandmother, and I believe you understand her very well, so I want to ask for your advice.”
Ji Xue’s grandmother’s eyes reddened.
Rubbing the corners of her eyes, Ji Xue’s grandmother showed an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just happy for Xiaxia.”
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“All these years, you are the first to come and ask me… the first who truly cares about Xiaxia,” Ji Xue’s grandmother said, her voice becoming choked up.
“Is Xiaxia really that talented?”
“Really,” Jiang Feng confirmed with a nod. “None of us has ever seen a White Chef with more talent than her.”
“Is it urgent? I mean, does she have to make a decision in the next few days?”
“No need,” Jiang Feng shook his head. “There’s still time, we can probably delay another half year. We’re also thinking if there might be a better way that could satisfy both concerns.”
“In this world, you can’t have too many perfect solutions. Not all the good things can be hers alone,” Ji Xue’s grandmother said with a laugh as she shook her head. “Let’s try this, I’ll give Xiaxia a little more time.”
“I trust she will be responsible to you and to herself.”
